WTUL News & Views interviews Wesley Ware of the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana about the release a new report, “Locked Up & Out.”  According to the report, youth continue to report physical and sexual abuse, psychological abuse, excessive use of lockdown and isolation, confidentiality breaches and privacy violations, as well as insufficient post-disposition representation which results in limited access to the court system and therefore a lower probability of obtaining early release when warranted.

Locked Up & Out is the first report of its kind, addressing a population usually invisible in Louisiana’s juvenile justice system while also focusing on systemic changes that would improve conditions for all court-involved youth.

(30 minutes, audio)


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WTUL News and Views Interviews Malcolm Suber of Communities United for Change about recent organizing in support of Federal Investigations into NOPD, as well as the ongoing struggle with NOPD in poor communities of New Orleans.

On the table are recent federal investigations into NOPD killings; cultural disfunction within the NOPD; a brief history of white supremacy in the police force from reconstruction times; and objections to Serpas' role as a third-generation NOPD officer destined to continue the disfunctional legacy.

Also discussed are citizen oversight of the many federal investigations into NOPD, the recent egregious behavior of the 6th distict police in Central City, and the general failure of the criminal justice system for the poor.

WTUL News and Views currently broadcasts on Monday and Wednesday mornings from 8am - 9am on WTUL 91.5 FM


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In response to the ongoing oil drilling disaster in the Gulf, at Noon on Tuesday June 15th, citizens, shrimpers, and representatives gathered at the Capitol Steps of Louisiana's legislature to call for an end to the spread of the dispersant Corexit and for full enforcement of OSHA regulations for oil cleanup workers, including full protective gear.

[7.01 min, 6.42MB]

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Last weekend's protest was part of the Right to Return Weekend in New Orleans. The Right of Return Weekend was organized in conjunction with the May month of actions called by Take Back the Land Movement (TBLM). TBLM is a network of autonomous organizations affiliated with the US Human Rights Network (USHRN) dedicated to realizing the human right to adequate housing and community control over land. Police say Ms. Sharon assaulted a Columbia Parc rental agent during her entrance into the building as part of last week's action. The rental agent did not complain about an assault and continued to work in the office the entire time of the occupation, including when police arrived. While there, police made no mention of an assault when explaining to the group why they should end their protest. The truth is that the City of New Orleans did not arrest Sharon Jasper for assault, they arrested her because she dared to tell that truth and demand that public housing residents of New Orleans have the right to return to their homes. The arrest represents a clear effort by the City of New Orleans to represent the interests of the developers of the Columbia Parc while actively working against the displaced former residents of New Orleans.


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Sheriff Scott Franklin of Jena says he is trying to rid his community of drugs. Critics say he is pursuing a vendetta against the town’s Black community. At four am on July 9 of last year, more than 150 officers from 10 different agencies gathered in a large barn just outside Jena, Louisiana. The day was the culmination of an investigation that Sheriff Scott Franklin said had been going on for nearly two years. Local media was invited, and a video of the Sheriff speaking to the rowdy gathering would later appear online.

The Sheriff called the mobilization “Operation Third Option,” and he said it was about fighting drugs. However, community members say that Sheriff Franklin’s actions are part of an orchestrated revenge for the local civil rights protests that won freedom for six Black high school students - known internationally as the Jena Six - who had been charged with attempted murder for a school fight.

One thing is clear: the Sheriff spent massive resources; yet officers seized no contraband. Together with District Attorney Reed Walters, Sheriff Franklin has said he is seeking maximum penalties for people charged with small-time offenses. Further, in a parish that is eighty-five percent white, his actions have almost exclusively targeted African Americans. In a town with just over three hundred Black residents, he sent his 150 officers only into the town’s Black neighborhood.

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